Yamba sewage retested for Covid as exposure sites close in on Clarence

As exposure sites are discovered at both Ballina and Nambucca Heads, the Yamba sewage treatment plant has been retested following a positive reading last week

Covid-19 contact sites are closing in on the Clarence Valley, with service centres at both Nambucca Heads and Ballina now listed as exposure sites by NSW Health.

After Yamba’s sewage returned a positive reading last week on August 16, health authorities have had the site retested.

The test result was released on the NSW Health Covid-19 heatmap, and shows that the most recent test was on August 18, and returned a negative result.

The Yamba results of sewage testing for Covid-19 from their official heatmap.

This was after Covid-19 was detected in Yamba on August 16, prompting the Northern NSW Local Health district to open a drive-through testing clinic at the Raymond Laurie Sports Centre last Thursday.

On Friday, the health district confirmed that the Byron Bay sewage had again tested positive for Covid-19 on a test from a test from August 17.

Other sites nearby that had sewage testing sites return a positive reading include Lennox Head on both August 12 and 15, Ballina on August 11 and South Lismore on August 11, which health authorities said may be the result have treating three COVID-19 patients at Lismore Base Hospital

Further south, NSW Health reported a positive test at on August 18, and Coffs Harbour showed virus fragments after warnings were issued for the community of a man travelling through the community with the disease.

Many people in the community have been calling for further testing of the six sewage sites within the Clarence Valley, which are located at Clarenza, Coutts Crossing, Iluka, North Grafton, Woodford Island and Yamba.